Cris “Cyborg” Justino has announced that she is vacating her Invicta FC featherweight title. Not only that, she wants a bout with UFC featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie at UFC 214 this July. Justino made the announcement via video Friday evening, which you can watch above.
After capturing the Invicta FC featherweight title in 2013 against Marloes Coenen and defending it on three consecutive occasions, Cyborg (17–1 (1)) fought her last two professional MMA bouts in the UFC. Those fights, however, were contested at a 140lb catchweight, as at the time, the promotion had no featherweight division. The launch of the weight class at UFC 208 was expected to feature the Brazilian star, however she was unable to accept a bout after a potential USADA violation was uncovered. That violation, due to a drug administered to help her recover from weight cutting, was eventually settled when the fighter was granted a therapeutic use exemption retroactively by USADA.
Invicta, meanwhile, crowned an interim featherweight champion in Megan Anderson when she defeated Charmaine Tweet at Invicta FC 21 in January of this year.
While Cyborg’s case was unfolding, Germaine de Randamie defeated Holly Holm to become the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight champion. The UFC, however, has failed to book a single featherweight bout since, leaving many to question the future of the division. With Cyborg now committed, it looks like it’s full steam ahead.
In her video announcement, Justino said that she would like to fight in the United States, as her last two fights have been in Brazil. She chose UFC 214, set to go down July 29 in Anaheim, California. To de Randamie, who has been nursing a hand injury, she stated “I hope your hand is healthy enough to accept my challenge.” Cyborg is currently on a seven fight win streak, and has not lost since her first professional fight in 2005.
